Jean-Dominique Bauby was a French journalist and editor who, following a stroke, experienced Locked-in Syndrome. Despite complete paralysis, able to communicate only by blinking his left eyelid, his mental faculties remained intact. Through this laborious method, painstakingly dictating letter by letter, he composed his profoundly moving memoir. His work stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of internal life against unimaginable physical constraints.
At the age of 42, Bauby suffered a massive stroke. Paralysed from head to toe, he was left imprisoned inside his body, his mind intact, but unable to speak or move anything except his left eyelid. This is his story.